Olympic College gets consultant's campus safety recommendations

An emergency call box on the Poulsbo campus of Olympic College in 2017. A consultant's report on campus safety calls for repairing and adding emergency call boxes on all three campuses.(Photo: Chris Henry / Kitsap Sun)

BREMERTON — Olympic College officials in early 2017 responded to staff complaints about campus safety by hosting forums and conducting a survey of all staff and students.

On Tuesday, the college's board of trustees will review a 56-page, third-party report on how safety could be improved at its three campuses in Bremerton, Poulsbo and Shelton.

The college commissioned the Campus Safety Assessment last fall, hiring KMB Architects of Olympia to review existing conditions, develop recommendations and give estimated costs for safety enhancements to be rolled out over the next 10 years. Results of the forums and survey were shared with the consultants, said OC spokesman Shawn Devine.

"The college places a high priority on the safety of our students and staff," said Janell Whiteley, interim vice president for administrative services. "The report from KMB is a comprehensive guide that will allow us to continue these efforts."

Staff complaints centered on security staffing, especially at satellite campuses in Poulsbo and Shelton. There also were complaints of inadequate outdoor lighting as well as ineffective functioning of the college's Big Voice public address system for broadcasting messages during emergencies and the emergency text alert system.

The consultant's report addresses some of these concerns as well as other systems and facilities issues, but it says little about staffing other than to give current numbers: nine full-time employees. That number includes the security director and eight full-time security officers. There are 10 part-time guards and five campus security office staff.

The college in 2016 had a preliminary plan to cut security staff for budget reasons, but the plan was never implemented. Then-college President David Mitchell ordered an abrupt reversal after word of the plan got out, causing an uproar among staff. The forums were launched in February 2017, along with the survey.

Devine said administrators heard through those channels that people want ample coverage at all campuses, and the college is respecting that. The source of funding for some security positions has been shifted from student and staff fees to the operating budget. That gives greater stability since fee revenue fluctuates with enrollment, Devine said.

"There are no planned cuts or increases to our security team at this time," he said.

Complaints about former security director Daniel Walkup last school year triggered an internal investigation of the college's safety protocol. Walkup in August 2017 accepted a lateral reassignment as director of emergency management and Poulsbo campus site manager.

The total cost of all recommendations is more than $2 million. The plan allows flexibility on which recommendations will be implemented, and there's the possibility of accelerating the schedule. The college will use its reserves, which are ample to fund the projects, Devine said. Recommendations from the plan will be incorporated into OC's ongoing security planning.

Replace existing emergency phones in parking lots and other outdoor areas with new Internet protocol phones and add better signage. Also, add emergency phones in the new parking area south of the new College Instruction Center and the new lot south of the Bremer Student Center

Update digital campus maps to correctly show the location of emergency phones

Complete a performance testing of the Big Voice PA system to identify coverage gaps and weak performance. Add a Big Voice speaker on top of the College Instruction Center, and connect the building's interior intercom system to the Big Voice system.

Simplify the system staff use to make a Big Voice announcement. Right now, it's a multi-step process vulnerable to human error and the possibility that delivery of critical information could be delayed, incomplete, incomprehensive or inaccurate, the consultants found.

Create a fire alarm panel replacement schedule to upgrade panels and devices. Some upgrades of radio equipment on the Bremerton campus have recently been done. Radio systems now contact a third-party monitoring company directly.

The college has 58 video surveillance cameras at the Bremerton Campus, five in Poulsbo and nine in Shelton. Seven cameras were planned for the new College Instruction Center but haven't been installed yet. The consultants identified gaps in the video surveillance coverage at all campuses and recommend adding cameras to cover the gaps.